What We Could Be
by GreJolteon
Summary: Ash finally overcomes all odds, fulfills his dream and becomes the Kalos champion. However he can't help but notice a somewhat empty feeling inside him. An unlikely source helps him discover what this feeling is. Advanceshipping, AshxMay, AaMayL.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, so this is is my first ever fanfic, so this will probably be the shittiest one I will ever make, but everyone's gotta start somewhere, right? I'll learn as I go, and hopefully one day I'll be "up there" with some of the more accomplished writers on here. Anyways, all reviews are welcome, just no flames on any pairings, okay? Don't like the pairing, don't read, thanks. Criticize my battle scenes or anything non-pairing related (even grammar if you wish, knock yourself out) if you want, all feedback is welcome.**

**Ages of major and recurring characters in this story (I will only post this once, right here; minor characters' ages will be posted in the chapters they show up in):**

**Ash Ketchum - 17**

**May Maple - 16 **

**Serena Gold - 15**

**Dawn Berlitz - 15 **

**Max Maple - 13**

**Brock Harrison - 22**

**Misty Waterflower - 18**

**Gary Oak - 17 **

**Drew Hayden - 16**

**Paul Shinji - 17**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any characters used in this story. All characters and Pokemon alike are owned by GameFreak. **

Enjoy!

* * *

_Kalos Conference Final, Lumiose City_

"Garchomp, use Earthquake! We have to finish this fast!" shouted a 17 year old raven-haired trainer with a Pikachu on his shoulder.

The battlefield started to shake violently, visibly affecting his opponent.

"Shake it off, Gardevoir!" _Its time, the gray-haired trainer thought. _"Mega evolve, now!". She tossed a stone at Gardevoir, and immediately it underwent a change in appearance. Its facial spikes grew larger in size, its gown grew longer and wider in appearance, and now has two horns on its chest instead of one.

"Gardevoir!"

"Don't let that intimidate you, Garchomp! Close in with Aerial Ace and then use Poison Jab , now!" his trainer ordered.

"Gaaaaar!" Garchomp leaped into the air and shot towards Gardevoir with speed, as its claws made a fist and turned purple.

"Moonblast, Gardevoir!"

As Garchomp closed in, Gardevoir charged a pink blob of energy, and quickly hurled it at the speeding dragon.

"Hang in there, Garchomp, now GO!"

Gardevoir managed to release the pink attack just as Garchomp barely made contact with Poison Jab. Garchomp was launched violently towards the wall, while Gardevoir somewhat struggled as it skidded backwards due to the direct hit.

After the smoke cleared, Garchomp was left with swirls in its eyes. However, Gardevoir was not in perfect condition either after taking a super effective Poison Jab, no matter how light, and an earlier Earthquake.

"Garchomp is unable to battle, this round goes to Diantha and Gardevoir!" the referee announced.

"Garchomp, return." A red laser shot out of the Pokeball, sucking in the fainted dragon. His fists started to clench. He knew he was facing an uphill battle with a mega evolved Pokemon. Even though his last Pokemon had yet to make an appearance, he was uncertain if he could match the power of mega evolution.

Pikachu somehow noticed this dilemma inside Ash's head and his tensed up expression. "Pikapi, pika pikachu!" Pikachu reassured its trainer, who was tired after its run in the battle, where he managed to knock out Diantha's Hawlucha, only to fall to her Tyrantrum.

"You're right, Pikachu! I have the be more confident in my own Pokemon, and my abilities! I'm sorry I even thought about doubting myself, and you." He looked down at his last Pokeball. "We're going to win this, I promise."

"Pika!"

"I have to say, Ash, you are really giving me a run for my money! Your Garchomp managed to hang in and gave my Gardevoir a parting gift despite the eventual type disadvantage. I'm really excited at the prospect of battling your last Pokemon." Diantha shouted over to the raven-haired trainer.

"Thanks, Diantha! Even though you have an advantage with a mega evolved Pokemon, we will never give up until the very end!"

"That's all I ask for from any trainer. Now send out your last Pokemon and let's give it our all." Diantha said.

"Alright, go Greninja!" Ash threw his Pokeball, revealing a blue and yellow frog with his tongue wrapped around its neck like a scarf.

* * *

"Folks, this looks to be a promising showdown between Gardevoir and Greninja. Both trainers are down to their last Pokemon, with the title of Kalos Champion on the line!" exclaimed Charles Goodshow on the microphone.

"You can do it, Ash!" Clemont and Bonnie screamed on top of their lungs.

"Knock 'em dead, Ash!" Serena also shouted.

* * *

"Battle, begin!" the referee said.

"Greninja, start this off with a Hydro Pump!" Ash told his Pokemon.

Greninja launched a huge volume of water straight at Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir, use Thunderbolt."

Gardevoir launched a bolt of electricity and intercepted the Hydro Pump, both attacks colliding and neutralizing each other.

"Now, use Water Shuriken!" Ash ordered.

Greninja materialized ninja stars made of water and hurled them towards his opponent.

"Use Psychic on those stars." Diantha calmly said.

As the stars closed in on Gardevoir, her eyes glowed, instantly stopping the stars before making contact.

"Now send them back towards Greninja." Diantha told Gardevoir.

Before Greninja and Ash could react, the ninja stars came back their way, continously striking and pelting Greninja with every blow.

"Don't let up, Gardevoir, Thunderbolt now.", Diantha again calmly said.

A yellow electrical wave was launched straight at Greninja. If the attack hit, Greninja and Ash would be in a world of trouble.

"Greninja, dodge with Shadow Sneak!" Ash frantically said.

Due to the remnants of the failed Water Shuriken, Greninja struggled, but barely managed to avoid the Thunderbolt by turning itself into its own shadow and slipping away from its path.

"Let's end this now, Greninja, and use Ice Beam!" Ash said.

A wave of ice formed from Greninja's mouth, and it fired at Gardevoir.

"Counter with Moonblast, Gardevoir, and then use Psychic."

Again, the battle between special attacks makes no headway, as both Moonblast and Ice Beam cancelled each other out in a mini explosion. However, Gardevoir used that small distraction to take control of Greninja. Greninja was lifted into the air against its own will.

"Now toss it against the wall."

Just like that, Greninja flew from the air straight towards the wall.

"Greninja, no!" Ash gasped.

"I think we'll be the ones to end this, Ash. You've put up a great fight, but this ends now. Gardevoir, full power Thunderbolt!"

As Greninja struggled to get up, Gardevoir charged a massive beam of electricity. They were going for it all with this Thunderbolt, that it could even rival a Thunder attack.

* * *

"Oh no, if Greninja doesn't get up it's over!", Serena exclaimed.

"They're charging up that Thunderbolt like there's no tomorrow, plus it's a super effective attack. It almost looks like an actual Electric-type charging up a Thunderbolt. This definitely doesn't look good.", Clemont added, however his thoughts drifted to something else. "Hey, maybe after this match I can ask Gardevoir to help me power some of my inventions in the future! She could be a great part of it, after all the future is now, thanks to-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Bonnie blew up anime-style, clearly annoyed. "Come on Greninja, snap out of it!", she shouted.

* * *

"Greninja, please, you've got to get up! I believe in you, you can overcome this!", Ash pleaded. Upon hearing this, Greninja suddenly jumped into the air, tired but confident nonetheless.

"That's the spirit, Greninja! Let's win this, use Shadow Sneak to get close and then Water Shuriken, don't let up!" Ash ordered his faithful Pokemon.

Greninja materialized into a shadow just milliseconds before Gardevoir could connect with Thunderbolt. Suddenly Greninja appeared behind Gardevoir. Gardevoir started to get punished by multiple stars launched at its back, repeatedly striking it.

"Gardevoir, no!" Diantha now slightly unnerved. "Use Psychic quickly!"

Once again, Gardevoir barely managed to get a hold on the stars before she was damaged too much and without needing to be told by Diantha, was preparing to send the stars back towards Greninja.

"Greninja, you know what to do now. Hydro Pump!"

As the stars started coming back towards Greninja, Greninja launched water from its mouth and started spinning, using the counter shield of water to keep itself safe from the stars.

"Now Ice Beam!" Ash practically screamed.

Due to the proximity between the two Pokemon created by Shadow Sneak, Gardevoir had no time to react as Greninja quickly fired a beam of ice. The move got its desired results, as Gardevoir was frozen solid.

"Now Hydro Pump, now we will finish this!" Ash said.

The current Kalos champion could only stare helplessly as Greninja launched a huge volume of water at the frozen Gardevoir, breaking the ice and sending Gardevoir against the wall violently.

In the end, it was too much for Gardevoir, who had swirls in its eyes, as the combined attacks from Greninja and Garchomp beforehand took its toll.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle, Greninja wins, which means victory goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" the referee announced.

"AMAZING, Ash beat the odds, overcoming many challenges including a mega evolved Pokemon, never mind the CHAMPION's mega evolved pokemon, and succeeded in his goal! Ladies and gentlemen, your new Kalos champion, Ash Ketchum!" Goodshow cried out.

* * *

**And that's the end of Chapter 1. Mainly a battle scene (obviously), I made sure that Ash and his Pokemon were definitely Elite 4 worthy, but not completely overpowered where his Pokemon basically one-shot everything like some of the fics on here. But (!) being a Champion and everything... it will now elevate his skills considerably, battles won't be as even as they are in the anime, and skill gaps will be noticeable. That'll be the tone in terms of battling for the rest of this story. **

**Pokemon Ash used in this battle: Pikachu, Garchomp, Greninja, Charizard (unmentioned), Sceptile (unmentioned), Blastoise (unmentioned). **

**I figured I needed to pull out Ash's OP squad to finally make him win a league.**

**Just as a heads-up, May will probably not make an appearance until at least late Chapter 3, but definitely by Chapter 4 (Ash just became a Champion, no need to rush yet! :P). That doesn't mean she won't be referenced/mentioned though. Please be patient, thanks yous!**

**Dont forget to review! Chapter 2 will be up in the next day or two!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, its GreJolteon back with a fresh new chapter. I'm ahead of schedule, which is good considering exams are coming too soon. I might not be able to update much over the next 2-4 weeks due to exams, and of course the holiday season. I'm thinking about adding a quick Christmas-related chapter to this story, but I'm not gonna think too far ahead. **

**Ages in this chapter:**

**Clemont - 16**

**Bonnie - 9**

**This and Chapter 3 are probably the only chapters that they will appear in, mainly because I don't know enough about them to be able to include them in the story (Sorry Geekchicshipping fans, this fic is not for you :P ). This is also the same reason why I decided to exclude Iris and Cilan from the "major characters" section: I didn't really pay too much attention to B&amp;W so I don't know enough about their characters to write about them. They might show up as chapter-specific characters though, and they will be mentioned every now and then. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokemon. If I did, the "shipping" part of Advanceshipping wouldn't exist because it would be canon. **

**Anyways, Chapter 2, ladies and gents!**

* * *

_**Back at the Kalos Conference Final...**_

_"Ladies and gentlemen, your new Kalos champion, Ash Ketchum!"_

Time seemed to stand still the moment he heard those words. After 7 years to the day he started his quest to become the greatest Pokemon master to live, he had finally taken a very major step in the right direction with his goal. He quickly remembered how he did in the Vertress Conference in Unova about a year and a half ago, and inside he was secretly disappointed in himself after his apparent regression since the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh almost 3 years ago. However, he didn't show too much of it at the time. Now here he was, finally a Champion. The idea almost seemed foreign to him. It took him six tries, but he's finally done it. He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts by a very energetic rodent on his shoulder.

"Pikachu, Pika Pikapi Pika!" Pikachu excitedly said.

"Wow Pikachu, this is really happening, isn't it?", Ash smiled.

At that moment, his tired but equally energetic Greninja came to his side.

"Great job, Greninja! I'm so proud of you, of what you've become ever since you were just a Froakie back at Professor Sycamore's lab. You've really grown strong, heck you're probably one of my strongest Pokemon ever. Thank you.", Ash complimented and leaned down at the blue frog.

"Greninja!", his Pokemon came up to hug his trainer.

After this, he turned to the audience. He didn't even notice how loud the stadium was starting to get... It almost felt like a jumbo jet was hovering just above the stadium.

Diantha sighed and recalled her Pokemon, "You did excellent, Gardevoir. Thank you for battling your hardest, and take a nice long rest.".

She then proceeded over to where Ash was standing, still a bit shell-shocked at the noise of the stadium but managed to finally wave at the crowd.

"You like the feeling, huh?", a gray haired woman said to a raven haired trainer.

"Yeah, I guess. Its still kinda new to me though, the idea that I'm actually a Champion, and that these fans are actually cheering for ME", Ash sheepishly responded.

"Well, I came over here to formally congratulate you for becoming the new Kalos Champion. You are now part of an elite group of trainers in the Pokemon League. That comes with a lot of prestige and pride, being one of the best Pokemon trainers on the planet. There's no need to be shy about it.", Diantha said with a small chuckle.

"Haha, I'll try not to", Ash said rubbing the back of his head.

It was at this moment when Mr. Goodshow came out with a shiny gold trophy.

"Allow me", Diantha motioned to Goodshow, who handed her the trophy.

Diantha then began to address the audience.

"Today, you all witnessed history, the passing of the torch, a new beginning in many ways. This young man right here managed to conquer the Kalos Pokemon League at the age of 17, becoming the youngest trainer to ever become a Champion in this Pokeworld. He has made history, and I am glad to be the one passing the "torch" over from my generation, to his. This signifies a new beginning, and we must now accept the fact that trainers alike are getting much better and better as each generation passes, greatly exemplified by this young man here. Without further adieu, I present to you, the new Kalos Champion, Master Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

The stadium erupted at that moment, ranging from guys loudly cheering on their "new" idol, to girls screaming inaudibly, although Ash caught a few comments that sounded like "Marry me!" and "You're so hot!". Ash just embarassingly waved at the crowd, lifting the trophy in the air and releasing his Pokemon from their Pokeballs to let them enjoy the moment with him. Charizard, Blastoise, Greninja, and Sceptile used their Flamethrower, Hydro Pumps, and Bullet Seed attacks wildly into the air in celebration. Garchomp fired his Draco Meteor to exhibit makeshift fireworks, although being careful as to not making it too big to get close to anyone. Meanwhile Pikachu just remained on his trainer's shoulder the whole time, taking in the moment with him. He had been with Ash since that very first day, when he had other plans other than being with Ash, giving him a Thundershock to prove his point. So much has changed since that day though, and now they are the best of friends. One would be hard-pressed to find a trainer closer to their Pokemon than Ash is with Pikachu.

As the fireworks show continued, Diantha quickly addressed the crowd again to make an announcement.

"As the Kalos Conference draws to a close, we would like to end with a bang. So, I would like to invite all participants and their friends to a party/dance, being held at this very stadium tomorrow starting at 8 pm. We have taken the liberty of bringing in Avicii as the guest DJ for this event. I can't wait to see you all there, and once again, congratulations to Master Ash."

As everyone started piling out of the stadium, mainly talking about the new champion or the dance happening tomorrow night, Diantha pulled Ash aside to a meeting room. There in the room sat the Elite 4 members of Kalos: Drasna, the Dragon-type demon; Siebold, the Water-type wonder; Malva, the fantastic Fire-type user; and Wikstrom, the slick Steel-type specialist.

* * *

"Hurry up, guys! I wanna see Ash!" Serena impatiently said pulling Clemont and Bonnie along with her.

"I don't know why you're rushing on this, we can see Ash anytime we want to. Hell we're rooming with him. Why can't you see him later at night?" Clemont asked. He did have a point.

"She probably wants to be the first to congratulate Ash, and then maybe tell him 'something', am I right?" Bonnie responded, innuendo clear when she said "something". "I mean, there's no better time to confess than after your 'guy' wins the league championship, hmm?" she continued.

Serena's cheeks started to tint a deep shade of red. "Bonnie! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Bonnie, what are you talking about? And why are your cheeks so red, Serena?" Clemont asked mindlessly.

Serena silently cursed her blood as she tried as hard as possible to avoid this conversation. "Can we just find Ash, please?" She quickly ran ahead of Clemont and Bonnie to avoid any more awkward questions.

_'Yep, I definitely don't know what I'm talking about. I can read you like an open book, Serena, don't mistake me for 'just' an innocent, dense 9 year old girl, unlike this doorknob.' _Bonnie silently smirked while looking at her brother, who was admiring the mechanism and technology used to light the massive flame that was burning, but soon to be extinguished signifying the end of the Kalos Conference.

She quickly dragged Clemont and ran after Serena. "Hey, wait up!"

* * *

As Ash sat down in the meeting room with the elites of Kalos, each member congratulated him, one by one. For some reason, they kept acknowledging the fact that he had become a regional Champion at such a young age. Before Ash, the youngest to ever become champion was Lance of the Kanto region, and he only became champion at the age of 21. Now, they have a boy who was just entering manhood suddenly become the most important Pokemon figure in the Kalos region.

"I hope you realize that this will become news in the surrounding regions quickly, hell maybe even the Pokeworld. Being a champion before the age of 18 is not something that happens everyday." Malva said. " Are you ready for overnight superstardom?", she continued.

"Stop dumping this on the boy, Malva. Obviously he's still a little bit overwhelmed by the attention, and its our job as the Elite 4 to help him through it.", Drasna interrupted.

"I know what it's like to deal with popularity, I am Malva the Holocaster superstar after all! Don't worry Ash! I will turn you into the most presentable champion this world has ever seen. Relish the fame, my boy!", Malva exclaimed a little too excitedly. The two male elites and Ash himself sweatdropped at this, and Drasna just gave her a glare.

Diantha quickly interrupted, "As much as we want to make Ash 'presentable', that is not why I called this meeting.", and with that she looked straight at Ash. "Ash, first of all, I would like to give you this." She pulled out a ring. "This is the Kalos championship ring. This ring will signify that you are the true Kalos Champion, kind of like a championship ring, except you are the only one who can keep this." Ash took it and mindlessly put it in his pocket. Diantha then continued, " I hope you realize what your new responsibilities are now that you are a Champion. You will have to make appearances every now and then, but more importantly you have to be ready to accept any challengers that get past these 4 and I", motioning to the elites in the room. "I know that you have been to five regions before Kalos, so you must really like to travel. What I'm really saying is, your responsibilities as Champion might get in the way of your travels, if you decide to travel through another region again. I think it's for the best if you were to remain in Kalos as long as you are the champion. I just wanted to give you something to think about. Let me know about your thoughts at the dance tomorrow." And with that, the elites and Diantha left the room, leaving a stunned Ash deep in thought.

_'They think it's best if I settle down in Kalos? Am I ready for that? There's still so many new Pokemon to meet, so many people to meet in this world. Am I ready to give up that prospect to stay as a Champion?'_, Ash contemplated. He should be feeling happy at the thought of being a Champion, but instead his mind is only filled with questions.

It doesn't help that even before this meeting, he hadn't been feeling fully excited at being a Champion. He doesn't know what it is, but something is just preventing him from being truly satisfied with his victory. Something feels... _empty_ inside of him. He decided not to think about it too much, and headed straight for the Pokemon center to drop off his Pokemon.

* * *

Along the way, he got many compliments from fans, a lot of wolf-whistles and numbers from girls, and a few challenges from trainers here and there, only for him to decline due to his Pokemon just being out of a hard-fought battle with the former Champion.

After dropping off his Pokemon at the Pokemon center, he made his way to the hotel village where all the trainers registered for the Kalos Conference and their friends were staying at. As he made his way to his building, he felt a hand tap his shoulder.

"There you are!" Serena exclaimed and pulled him into a hug, putting her arms around his neck. Ash was surprised at first but when he recognized the voice and the blur of blonde on his face, he returned the hug, putting his arms around her waist.

"Congratulations on winning the Kalos League, _Master Ash._", she said jokingly.

"Please don't call me that, Serena. All this attention is kinda driving me crazy to be honest.", Ash frowned. Of course she hadn't seen this.

"Well don't let it get to your head, oh Mr. Champion." she said with a giggle.

_'This girl is never gonna listen to me, is she?',_ Ash thought to himself. He suddenly thought of a way to get her back.

"You know, the Kalos League isn't the only thing I'm a 'champion' at", Ash said, getting ready to launch his attack, tightening the hug into formation.

"Oh really, now? Letting the fame get to your head already?", Serena joked. She noticed Ash tighten the hug a little, and faintly blushed at this. "Okay then, master, what else are you a 'champion' at?"

Ash didn't reply, as he began to run his hand up and down Serena's side, tickling her profusely.

Serena yelped loudly, and started laughing uncontrollably, garnering the attention of some bystanders in the lobby, including a blonde gym leader and his little sister.

"A-a-a-ash, s-stop itt! Ahhhhh!". She tried to release herself from Ash's grasp, but to no avail.

Ash then decided to elevate things further, setting her down on a couch in the lobby, now tickling both of her sides with no mercy.

"A-ashhhh p-pleasee! Hhahaha! S-stop!". Serena had no way out.

Finally Ash spoke. "Okay, but only if you promise to stop calling me 'master', or 'champion' or anything like that."

"O-o-okayy I promiseeee!" And with that, Ash finally let go, with a small chuckle. "Thank you.", he said jokingly.

Serena was still catching her breath, and pulled down the brim of Ash's hat over his eyes.

"Hey!", Ash said.

"That's what you get", Serena said with an annoyed tone in her voice. However, it was more of of a "fun annoyed".

That's when they noticed Clemont and Bonnie walking up to them.

"Uhm, what was that?", Clemont asked confused.

"What was what?", Ash asked.

"The whole 'intimate hugging and wrestling contest' you guys had over here. You guys looked so cute together like that!" Bonnie exclaimed.

While Ash didn't think of it too much, Serena's face felt like it was just hit with Charizard's Flamethrower. She turned away and looked and every direction but Ash.

"What are you talking about, Bonnie? Serena was just congratulating me, and then after that I was just trying to get her to stop treating me like royalty, that's all there is to it", Ash explained.

"Sureee.", said Bonnie.

While Ash had absolutely no idea what Bonnie was trying to say, Serena gave Bonnie a death glare that could kill. Bonnie got the hint and dropped the subject, instead bringing up a new one. "So guys, are you going to the dance tomorrow?"

"Well, as champion, I kinda have to, haha", Ash said rubbing the back of his head.

"What about you, Serena?", Bonnie asked.

"Yeah, you should come, Serena! It'll be fun.", Ash added.

Serena contemplated for a minute and finally answered, "Sure, I'll come with you guys.".

"Great! Well, I'm going to bed, life of a champion really took a toll on me", Ash said in a joking way.

"Oh lookie here, Mr. Champion has been Champion for a grand total of 3 hours and he's already showing off", Serena shoved Ash playfully.

"Haha, I'm just kidding, but seriously I'm going to bed. Good night.", and with that Ash and the rest of the group separated and went to their rooms.

* * *

When Ash made his way to his bed, he was just ready to fall into a deep slumber. He wasn't lying, today's events had really taken a toll on him. He searched his pockets for the ring that Diantha had given him earlier, but that's not the first thing he felt. He instead pulled out something which, to any ordinary person wouldn't mean too much, but to him was his good luck charm, the one thing that gave him the strength and confidence to go on in his various adventures, even though the other half of it was two time zones away right now. He examined the pink half ribbon with a shiny gold center. Although it has seen better days, the ribbon itself was still in good condition.

_'I wonder how you've been doing, May. We haven't talked since after my Unova journey. I tried a few times to call you, but you're just so damn hard to track!'_, Ash silently chuckled to himself. _'Well, I know you're probably living the dream right now, cuz I don't know if I am, to be honest.'_, Ash thought, referring back to what Diantha told him earlier about cutting his journeys short. _'You're probably having the time of your life in Sinnoh contests right now, with...him.'. _Ash tensed up, squeezing the ribbon a little tighter at the thought of May and the green-haired boy travelling together, and... possibly more. A stray tear slipped out of his right eye. _'I mean, why do I care so much? There's no reason for me to be feeling this way, should there be?'_. Ash sighed, thinking that he definitely needed some sleep now to get rid of these crazy thoughts in his head.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash didn't realize that he left his door at least a quarter of the way open, and someone outside his room had noticed him staring at the ribbon that he cherished so much.

_'I thought that after today, you might've had some actual feelings for me, but the way you look at the ribbon tells me enough. You definitely still like that Hoenn girl you won that ribbon with. You just don't know it yet'. _The blonde girl took off her pink hat and sighed. That's when she noticed the tear coming out of Ash's eye. Even from a distance, she noticed it. Instead of feeling sad about herself, she could only feel sympathy for Ash. _'Is something bothering him that much? Is it about the ribbon? Is it about the whole 'royalty' thing earlier? I wonder what it could be.'_ She quickly dashed from Ash's door, however, and straight into her room when she realized that Ash had finally noticed the door slightly open. He got up from the bed and closed it. Serena's heart was pounding at the close call she had gotten. However, she still couldn't stop thinking about why Ash was feeling so down, the night he became the champion of Kalos, vaulting him into superstar status overnight.

_'Your heart may not belong to me, but that doesn't mean I won't help you find that smile of yours again, the smile that makes me melt, oh so much'._ And with that, Serena finally turned out the lights, ready to hit the hay.

* * *

**And that concludes Chapter 2. This was obviously an Amourshipping-centered chapter, with quite an OOC AshxSerena moment, but that's okay. these kind of fanfics were made because we want our fav characters to slip OOC and get on with our desired ships already!**

**LOL at the Avicii thing though. While this story is still set in the Pokeverse, celebrities and other famous figures from our own world may also pop in every now and then, so I guess in some way it is considered AU to some, but I don't think so.**

**Please review! Chapter 3 (which will be centered mainly on the dance, oh and certain feelings may or may not be mentioned) should be up within a couple of days!**


	3. Chapter 3

**What's up, everyone? GreJolteon here with Chapter 3. Time to kick Ash's power up a notch! Also, there is still slight Amourshipping, althought the Advanceshipping has been kicked up a notch as well (May: Thank God! After the last chapter, I was starting to wonder whether this was truly an Amourshipping fic in disguise.)**

**Ages in this chapter:**

**Korrina - 21**

**Alexa - 27**

**Viola - 25**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Pokemon, sorry!**

* * *

_**Lumiose City, 1 day after the Kalos Conference**_

A blonde haired girl started to stir as morning came over the Kalos region. She had forgotten to close the drapes over her window, and the sun beaming in her face forced her to wake up. She got up and decided to take a shower. After she had finished, she had put on her usual outfit, a black tank top with white collars and a red skirt. She matched it with long black stockings a pair of black shoes. Her trademark style, however, was the pink hat on top of her head. When she had finished, her stomach started grumbling, and with that she left her room to proceed to the cafeteria.

When she made it down to the cafeteria, she quickly spotted a blonde haired boy with glasses and blue overalls, and a blonde haired girl wearing a brown shirt with a white skirt sitting in a table way off to the side. The girl also had a Dedenne sitting happily inside her satchel.

"Serena, over here!", called out the little girl.

Serena grabbed some eggs and bacon and made her way over to the table.

After releasing her Fennekin and Pancham to dig into the breakfast, Serena finally addressed the two. "Hey guys, how'd you sleep?", Serena inquired.

"Great! Last night was kind of crazy, it felt like things were happening at a breakneck pace, you know?", said Clemont.

"I wonder how Ash must be feeling. I mean, he's like a celebrity now!", Bonnie added.

"Speaking of which, where is Ash?", the girl with the pink hat questioned.

"I don't know, we didn't see him at all this morning. Maybe he's still asleep?", Clemont pondered.

"Wow, that boy must really be pooped out if that's the case. I mean, it's almost 11 am!", Bonnie said as she motioned over to the rest of the cafeteria, which was almost empty due how late it was for breakfast times.

"I think I'm gonna go check up on him. He's usually ready to go early in the morning", Serena told the two as she got up to head to Ash's room.

Before she left the cafeteria, however, Bonnie quickly caught up to her with a sly smirk on her face. Clemont just looked puzzled as she saw Serena and her little sister walk out of the cafeteria, leaving only him, Serena's Fennekin and Pancham.

"And then there was one.", said the gym leader.

* * *

"So?", Bonnie started.

"So? So what?", Serena asked confused.

"You know what I'm talking about. How did things go with Ash?", Bonnie asked, still with the smirk in her face.

Serena quickly caught on to what Bonnie was asking, and slightly blushed. "Nothing happened at all! Ash looked like he was really tired, and so I just let him be.", Serena explained.

"So you didn't confess yet?", said the little girl, with Dedenne now on top of her head.

"No", she quickly replied, "And besides, I don't think I will", she sighed a little sadly.

Bonnie fell over anime-style upone hearing those words.

"What? Why not? You can't just back down now! I've seen the way you look at him all throughout our travels, and I know that look. You want to be more than friends with him, and I can't stand to watch you suffer any longer! You have to tell him how you feel!", Bonnie exclaimed, a hint of annoyance and rowdieness (is that even a real word?) in her voice.

Serena sat down in the lobby of the hotel, motioning for Bonnie to sit down next to her. She complied and sat down next to Serena.

"Bonnie, it's not that I don't wanna tell him, trust me, I wish I could. I really like him a lot, and it would mean the world to me if he returned my feelings for him.". Pausing for a bit, sighing again, but she continued undeterred, "But I know his heart already belongs to someone else, and I can't force him to love me, it wouldn't be fair to him or the person who captured his heart.", Serena finished.

Bonnie just had a confused look on her face, "What are you talking about? How do you know he's in love with someone else? Do you have proof? I don't remember him telling us about anyone.", the girl said.

"Bonnie, do you remember the story Ash told us about that half ribbon and how he got it?"

"Yeah, I think I do. Something about a good luck charm. Didn't he say he won it with a coordinator from the Hoenn region?", Bonnie asked, still not understanding where this is going.

"Yes, but you see, that's what he told US. You, me, and Clemont, but that ribbon means so much more to Ash than what he lets on." the girl with the pink hat said.

"How do you know this?", Bonnie questioned.

"Well at first, I didn't think too much about it either. But that was before Ash and I had... a personal talk. He told me how much it actually meant to him and then some. That's what confirmed my initial suspicion about where his feelings might actually lay.", Serena explained.

* * *

_**Laverre City, 3 months earlier**_

_A raven-haired trainer stood in the balcony of a room in the Pokemon Center they were staying at. This Pokemon Center was one of the bigger ones in Kalos, and it had three floors. _

_The boy was just staring out into the night sky, his right hand shuffling in his pocket. He pulled out the contents of that pocket, to reveal a pink half ribbon. He admired it under the moonlight, and stared at it for quite a while._

_A certain blonde haired girl noticed this. She came out onto the balcony and decided to keep him company._

_"Hey, Ash.", the girl greeted him._

_Ash turned around, and acknowledged her. "Oh, hey Serena. Hmm that's funny, I thought you guys would've already been asleep by now.", he simply said._

_"Yeah, I was about to, but that battle you had with Valerie today was just so intense! My heart was pounding when Frogadier almost fell to Sylveon, but you came back with that clutch Water Pulse that confused Sylveon before she could fire Dazzling Gleam. That was truly amazing. I guess I just couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided to get some fresh air, but you were here as well.", Serena explained._

_Ash let out a small chuckle, "Yeah, that was one of the hardest gyms I've ever faced, mainly because I didn't know it was a fairy-type gym. I guess I didn't battle enough fairy-types before then, so I guess I just got lucky.", he rubbed the back of his head._

_"Don't say that, Ash! You held your own against one of the strongest gym leaders in Kalos. You're one of the strongest trainers I've ever witnessed, and even Valerie said she sees a lot of potential in you.", Serena assured Ash._

_"Haha, thanks Serena.", Ash sheepishly responded._

_"Oh, is the future Pokemon master getting embarassed because of a heartfelt compliment?", Serena teased._

_"I am not!", Ash's cheeks got slightly redder. "I'm going to bed, good night.", he bluffed._

_"Nononoo, stay here, please?", Serena flashed her puppy dog eyes._

_Once again, the great Pokemon master succumbs to the power of the eyes. You would think that after five regions, he would grow immune to it by now. After all, he had to deal with Misty, Dawn, Iris... and May._

_'Those beautiful sapphire eyes that could mesmerize anyone staring deep within them... You did have the prettiest eyes... I always get lost when I stare into those deep cerulean pools', Ash thought. 'Wait, why am I thinking about this? My head is so messed up right now!', he exclaimed in his head. He unconsciously began to stare at the half-ribbon in his hand again. _

_Serena noticed this, a tinge of jealousy in her mind at the thought of Ash thinking about the brunette who had owned the other half of the ribbon . She had to know how much this girl had actually meant to him._

_"Ash, I've noticed that you always keep that ribbon in your pocket or within arms' reach all the time. I know you told us about how you won it with that May girl, and how you've told us that she is one of your closest friends. But I always have this feeling that there's more to the story than what you've told us.", Serena confronted Ash without being too invasive._

_At first, Ash seemed confused at what Serena just said. "Huh? What story?"_

_Serena then realized that she might being getting a little too personal, inquring about the girl, so instead she rephrased the question. "Never mind, Ash. But, tell me. Be completely honest with me. I've seen the way you stare at that ribbon mindlessly whenever you get the chance. And that's if you're not playing with it in your pocket. What does that ribbon truly mean to you, Ash?", she asked undeterred._

_Ash finally caught what she was trying to ask, so he tried to describe its significance as best as he could. "Well, I split this ribbon with May back in Terracotta Town in Kanto, right before we ...went our separate ways." He tensed up a little, but continued. "She went to Johto to participate in contests there, and I went to Sinnoh to take on the Sinnoh league. I guess I've been holding on to it as a good luck charm, but it is also my main source of motivation. Looking at it reminds me that even though our paths to achieving our dreams may differ, in a way we're still in it together. This ribbon assures me that May will always be with me as I go through my adventures, even if she's not here in the flesh and blood, and I will always be with her as long as she keeps her half, no matter how far apart we are physically." Ash finally finished. _

_Serena was still processing everything that Ash had told her. 'He's never talked about any of his other friends like that before, not even Misty, Dawn, or Iris, the other girls Ash has mentioned', Serena thought. She suddenly felt jealous at the way Ash had described May to her, but she had to dig deeper to figure out just how much May meant to Ash. "So, she seems like she means a lot to you. Why aren't you travelling with her right now?", Serena asked innocently. She did not realize that she had hit a soft spot in the raven-haired trainer._

_Ash's fists clenched upon hearing the question, and turned away from Serena to stare into the night sky once again. He stayed that way from several minutes, not responding to her question. Serena started to panic in her mind, not knowing what Ash was thinking about or why he hadn't answered her question._

_'Did I say something wrong? Oh no, what if it's a sensitive topic? I don't want Ash to hate me because I got too snoopy!' Serena exclaimed in her head. However, her fears were supressed when Ash turned back to her, with a calm expression on his face._

_"It was after the Unova League. I was back in Pallet Town, and I had a little reunion with some of my older friends, Misty, Tracey, Gary, and even May and her little brother Max showed up. The contest season in Johto lasted almost as long as both my Sinnoh and Unova journeys, so she had just finished up as well. However, May brought... a friend with her as well. A coordinator named Drew." At mentioning his name, Ash stiffened up yet again, which did not go unnoticed to the blonde girl beside him. "Anyways, I was actually about to ask May if she wanted to come to Kalos with me, but to my surprise, Drew had already asked her to come to Sinnoh with him beforehand... and she agreed. Just like that. Of course I couldn't ask her after she had already set a destination for herself, because I didn't wanna get in the way of her journey, and her dreams.", Ash explained._

_Serena could only feel sympathy for the boy at the moment. She could only imagine what Ash went through at the time. Have your intentions set on travelling with your best friend once again, only to have fate and a little bad luck deny you that opportunity. She could've sworn she saw a tear fall out of Ash's eye, but decided not to pay too much attention to it. _

_"Anyways, that's why I came to Kalos on my own, at least until I met Clemont, Bonnie, and you." Ash then noticed the sad look in Serena's face. "But hey! Don't dwell on it too much! If May had come to Kalos with me, I might not have met you guys, and I would truly regret not being able to share a journey with you guys." He managed a weak smile. "Especially you, Serena. You've cheered me on at every single gym battle, and I don't think I would've survived without your support.", he lightly chuckled. At hearing this, Serena's face flushed red, but Ash hadn't noticed this due to the darkness. Suddenly, he let out an obnoxious yawn. "Well, I should really be getting back. We have an early day tomorrow. You need to get some sleep, too Serena. Good night."_

_Serena just silently whispered "Uhmm, g-good night, Ash.". She wasn't sure if he heard it, but she didn't care, there was a lot on her mind. _

_'May really means a lot to Ash, doesn't she?' Serena pondered. Suddenly, a new thought crept up in her head, 'Oh no, what if Ash has feelings for this girl? Did I ever really have a chance with him to start with, or has someone already stolen his heart?' she thought. This thought lingered in her mind for the rest of the night, as she finally tucked herself into bed after Ash had already passed out._

* * *

**Back to the present**

"Wow.", was all that Bonnie could mutter.

Serena just nodded her head. "That's not all. The reason I actually brought the ribbon up was because of what I saw last night." She explained the events from last night, from Ash staring intently at the ribbon, the faint tear escaping his eye, everything.

"Now do you see why I can't tell him how I feel, Bonnie? Last night fully confirmed to me that Ash still has feelings for May, even though he might not know about it yet.", Serena again said dejectedly.

Bonnie then finally spoke up, "Well then, screw May! She had her chance with Ash, and she threw that chance away by going with that Drew guy. She didn't even sound like she gave it a second thought! That means she probably didn't even care about what Ash was thinking, which tells me that their friendship might be one-sided.", she said with distaste in her voice.

Serena, surprised at the tone and the choice of words the younger girl had used, quickly responded, "Bonnie! We don't even know the full story. May could've had a very good reason for going to Sinnoh instead of with Ash. We can't just come to conclusions."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I've come to my own conclusion. Serena, do whatever you want to do, but I still think you should confess to Ash as soon as possible. Hey, you should do it at the party tonight!", Bonnie said excitedly.

Serena sighed, _'This girl is so headstrong'_, she mused.

"Anyways, I'm gonna go check on Clemont. We left him for almost 20 minutes, who knows what he could've blown up during that time.", and with that, Bonnie skipped back in the direction towards the cafeteria.

Serena watched the girl leave, and after that she went on to her original destination, Ash's room.

As she ascended the elevator to the 6th floor, where all their rooms were, she couldn't shake off what Bonnie had said about May.

_'What if May was the reason why Ash was feeling so down last night? Was Bonnie right? Did the thought of May only cause Ash grief?' _she pondered. _'No, I don't know the full story, I just can't assume. There has to be more to this.'_, she resolved, as the elevator reached the 6th floor.

She then walked down the hallway to Ash's room.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

No response.

_Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!_

There was no response again. However, she was surprised when the door slightly opened.

She opened the door a little bit more, and was a little surprised at what she saw inside the room. Ash was nowhere to be found, but gasped when she saw a large, red falcon staring right at her.

"Taaloon!", the bird shrieked.

"Talonflame, what are you doing here? Where's Ash?", Serena inquired.

"Talon!", the bird motioned to its claws. Serena noticed a small note tied to Talonflame's claw.

She untied the note and began to read it.

* * *

_Serena, _

_I know you'd probably come looking for me sooner or later. I woke up at around 8 am and didn't wanna wake you, so I decided to eat breakfast and get started early. If you wanna come see me, I'm near the Skate Park on Route 5. Just ask Talonflame to give you a lift, he knows where I am. I know, you're probably wondering why I have Talonflame. I exchanged some Pokemon with some of my other ones from Professor Oak's ranch, and I only kept Pikachu and Charizard. Hey, if you come by, you can meet some of my other Pokemon too._

_Ash_

* * *

"Well Talonflame, I guess I have no choice, huh? Plus, it'll be cool to meet more of Ash's Pokemon. Let's go!", and with that, she quickly went back down to the cafeteria to bring Fennekin and Pancham along with her, and afterwards she got on Talonflame's back.

Talonflame then took off at a high speed, even startling Serena. "Talonflame, slow down!", Serena said a little nervously.

"Taalooon!", the bird cried in defiance, obviously wanting to reach their destination quickly. Serena had no choice but to hang on to her dear life.

* * *

After ten minutes of frantically panicking inside her head, Serena finally felt Talonflame slowing down, signifying that they are reaching their destination. When they got close, Serena was surprised at the sight. She saw Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, but she also noticed three women standing with him. She immediately recognized the two sisters, one of which was the gym leader of Santalune City, and a blonde girl in roller skating gear, the gym leader of Shalour City. Talonflame finally landed next to Ash, Serena on board.

"Great job, Talonflame, I knew you'd take Serena to us just fine.", Ash said, patting his bird Pokemon in the head. Talonflame cooed at the touch.

Serena then acknowledge the women with Ash. "Viola! Alexa! Korrina! Wow, its great to see you again!"

Alexa then responded, "Yes, its nice to see you too, Serena". Viola and Korrina then nodded in agreement.

Serena then got curious, "What are you guys doing here?", she said enthusiastically.

The girl in roller skating gear then stepped forward, "Well, first and foremost, we wanted to congratulate Ash on becoming the Kalos Champion. You guys might not look at it this way, but Viola and I technically work for Ash now.", Korrina giggled.

Ash then sweatdropped at the last sentence, "Please don't think about it like that. All this attention is still kind of new to me... it still seems unbelievable."

"Hmm, I bet it is. One minute I'm landing in Kalos with you after Unova, the next you become Champion. Damn, time flies.", Alexa said with a smile.

"Yes, yes it does.", Ash just rubbed the back of his head.

"You know Ash, when you lost to me the first time way back then, I knew right away that I wasn't battling the true Ash Ketchum I had heard about from my sister. My sister emphasized the bond you shared between your Pokemon, and even told me that I shouldn't take you lightly. Nevertheless, you beat me in our rematch, with this majestic Talonflame and that powerful Pikachu of yours, and ultimately became the champion. You've definitely come a long way, Ash. You too, Pikachu and Talonflame.", Viola complimented the trio.

Ash was starting to get slightly embarassed at the compliment, and just managed to sheepishly say "Thanks."

"Pika pika!", Pikachu exclaimed.

"Talonflame!", the red bird likewise responded.

"Anyways", Korrina continued, "the second reason why we came here is for this. She then reached into her satchel and pulled out a bracelet with a stone embedded in it.

Ash was shocked at what she had just pulled out, and was even more shocked when Korrina handed the item to him.

"Is this what I think it is?", Ash was still in awe.

"Yes, Ash. My grandfather said that with you becoming the Champion, you are finally ready for the secrets of Mega Evolution. The bonds you have shared with your Pokemon have grown that much stronger since you met him at the Tower of Mastery.". She then pulled out another item in her satchel, a big, round, shiny blue stone. "Ash, this is a present from me. It's a Lucarionite. Have a Lucario hold it during battle, and he will evolve into Mega Lucario for the duration of the battle.", and with that, she tossed the stone towards Ash, catching it easily with one hand.

"Thank you very much, Korrina!", Ash said excitedly. "You know, its kinda funny you gave me this right now, because I switched my Pokemon just this morning, and I just so happened to take this guy along with me.". He then threw a Pokeball high into the air, revealing a blue, black, and yellow canine Pokemon.

"Ash! When did you get a Lucario?", Serena exclaimed.

"Well, I met Lucario in Sinnoh while it was still a Riolu. I helped it escape from some thieves wanting to steal it, and eventually he decided that he wanted to travel with me, isn't that right buddy?"

_"Yes, master.", _Lucario responded in Ash's head, but to the others, they just heard Lucario's roar.

"But why did the thieves want to steal Riolu?", Alexa wondered.

"Well, my buddy over here managed to learn Aura Sphere as a Riolu, which is very rare.", Ash said with a small chuckle, hearing the gasp that came from the Shalour Gym Leader.

"Oh wow, that's truly amazing!", Korrina said in shock. Having a Lucario of her own just made the thought that much more exciting for her.

"Yes, that's very surprising. You know, you continue to amaze me more and more, Ash. I feel like the Kalos Champion always has something new up his sleeve.", Viola joked, while Ash sweatdropped.

"Why don't you try out the mega stone, Ash?", Korrina asked.

"Sure! You up for it, Lucario?"

_"Yes master, I can't wait to experience this new transformation."_

Ash put the Key Ring in his left wrist, and then threw the mega stone at Lucario. "Okay then, Lucario, mega evolve, now!"

At that moment, Lucario caught the stone, and its appearance changed. It's yellow fur grew considerably longer, and its paws and feet turned crimson red, and the black aura-sensing appendages on its head grew longer in length, now tipped red as well.

Ash couldn't believe the sight. He had finally possessed the power of mega evolution with Lucario.

Serena was also awestruck.

"How are you feeling, Lucario?", Ash asked.

_"I feel so... alive, enlightened, and renewed. Like I can triumph over any adversity thrown at me!" _his faithful canine replied.

"Glad to see it works just fine for you, Ash. My grandfather was right, you definitely have mastered Mega Evolution, due to your strong bonds with your Pokemon", Korrina acknowledged.

"Thanks once again, you guys.", Ash addressed all three women.

"No problem, anything for our champion", Viola once again teased, causing another sweatdrop from Ash.

"Anyways, we should be heading back into Lumiose to get ready for the party. All the Kalos gym leaders have been invited as well, and I, being Lumiose's top journalist, will be covering the story as well. We'll see you there tonight. Congratulations again, Ash.", Alexa said, and with that, the three women walked towards Lumiose City.

"Wow, that just happened.", Ash said quietly to himself, referring to his newly acquired power of mega evolution. He then remembered that Serena was still with him. "Oh, Serena, do you want to meet some more of my Pokemon?"

"Well that's kind of why I'm here, right?", Serena said annoyed, but in a joking way.

Ash rolled his eyes, but released three Pokemon from their Pokeballs. Out popped a green dinosaur-like Pokemon, a red monkey with a flame on its head, and a blue-and-yellow sea lion.

"Serena, I'd like you to meet Meganium from the Johto region, Infernape from the Sinnoh region, and Samurott from the Unova region. You already know Lucario.", Ash introduced.

Serena walked up to the three powerful Pokemon, "H-hey, I'm Serena, n-nice to meet you guys"

That's all she could say before she was tackled by a green blur. "Meganium, Mega Meganium!", Meganium was clearly excited at meeting Serena, while Infernape and Samurott just stood there coolly.

Ash sweatdropped at this, but for once he was glad it was her and not him that Meganium trampled affectionately.

"Wow, Ash. You've been to so many regions. Sometimes I still can't believe this is your sixth region already. You must really love travelling that much!", Serena pointed out.

Ash gave off a weak smile, but his thoughts immediately went back to what Diantha had said last night. _'... your responsibilities as Champion might get in the way of your travels, if you decide to travel through another region again. I think it's for the best if you were to remain in Kalos as long as you are the champion...' _Ash frowned at this thought. _'What if I had won one of my earlier leagues? What if I won the Johto league, for example? Would I have been in the same situation as I am now? I probably wouldn't have met all of my wonderful Pokemon friends if I had settled down. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I'm only 17 years old, there's still so many new places to see, new people and Pokemon to meet, and... some old friends to see'_. The first one to come to his mind was a very special brunette with a green bandana on her head. _'I wonder if May would be happy to see me the next time we meet up.' _. He once again unconsciously played with the ribbon in his pocket.

Serena noticed Ash thinking to himself, and noticed his hand fidgeting in his pocket. _'Okay, he definitely has a problem, and I think I might know what it is. I'm gonna ask him about it later at the dance'_, she decided.

Shrugging off his thoughts for now and waiting until the dance to voice his opinions about his plan to Diantha, Ash called out to Serena.

"We should probably head back to Lumiose, the party starts in three hours.", and with that, he released Charizard from his Pokeball. "You can ride on Talonflame again. I don't want to have to force Talonflame to carry both of us, so I'm gonna ride on Charizard.", he said as he returned Lucario, Meganium, Infernape, and Samurott into their Pokeballs.

"Let's go, Talonflame!", Serena exclaimed. "Race you there, Ash!", and with that, Talonflame once again took off at a speed that even a Ninjask would be jealous at.

"Hey, no fair!", Ash shouted as Charizard frantically took off in pursuit of Serena.

* * *

Serena reached the hotel five minutes ahead of Ash, due to the fact that she had gotten a head start on him, and that Talonflame was naturally a much faster Pokemon than Charizard, which Ash made sure to remind her over and over again.

They then proceeded to get ready for the party/dance. Ash had decided to remove his hat, and put on a nice blue dress shirt and brown khaki pants. Of course, being somewhat of a formal event, he had to clean up a little bit, especially being the Kalos champion.

Serena had also removed her hat, and put on a simple black dress. Afterwards, she met up with Bonnie and Clemont, who had also dressed up for the event. The group later met up with Ash, and they all walked to the stadium together.

* * *

They had gotten there at around 8:30 pm. By then, the party was in full swing. Ash had gotten many loud cheers from the partygoers as they entered the stadium. Reporters had tried to pull Ash aside for interviews before he entered, but they were held at bay by security. Avicii had gotten on stage and "Levels" was now blaring all over the stadium. Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie had decided to stick together as a group and just have fun, dancing to the music. Korrina, Alexa, and Viola had even joined them for a few minutes on the dance floor, but had to attend to other matters soon after. Clemont had tried to show off one of his lame moves, which got laughs from some girls, although one was smiling at him. Bonnie noticed this and immediately dragged Clemont to the girl against his will, probably to introduce him, leaving Ash and Serena on their own. Even at an event like this, Bonnie wouldn't pass up an opportunity to find Clemont a "significant other". Suddenly, the song "Outside" by Calvin Harris came on, and being a somewhat slow song considering it's a house song, Serena had asked Ash to dance with her. They went to the dance floor, and Ash took Serena's hands and motioned for her to follow his lead.

Serena took this opportunity to ask Ash what had been bothering him, as she probably wouldn't get another opportunity tonight.

"Hey, Ash?", Serena began.

"Yeah, what's up, Serena?", asked Ash.

"Have you been feeling okay lately? You don't seem so upbeat for someone who just became a league champion", the blonde questioned.

Ash thought about what Serena had just said. He had to admit, some part of him just couldn't relish the fact that his dream had finally come true. Its not that he didn't want to be happy, it's just something is preventing him from truly being satisfied.

"Uhmm", Ash thought about his answer for a second. Finally he responded, "I will admit, there is a part of me that doesn't feel truly satisfied with... all of this. Being champion, the glory, the fame. I can't seem to point my finger at the cause. At first, I thought it was because of the thought that I might have to settle down in Kalos, being champion and everything, but it feels deeper than that. Something just feels... empty inside me", Ash repeated his emotions from last night.

While Ash may not have understood, Serena thinks she knows what that _empty feeling _is, referring back to the scene she witnessed in Ash's room last night, and it involves a certain brunette who seemed very special to the Kalos champion.

"Ash? I have to be honest with you about something. Last night, when you had gone into your room... you didn't close your door all the way, and I saw you... staring at that ribbon again. I may not know exactly all the details, but I can now say I know exactly why you're feeling this way.", Serena then took a deep breath and decided to drop the bombshell there, "I think you miss May, and going deeper than that, I think you're in love with her.", the blonde girl finished.

Ash was left speechless after Serena's words. He just stared at her wide-eyed for a minute. _'In love with May? What is this girl thinking? I am NOT in love with her! What gives her the right to talk about something like that? She doesn't even know May in person!' _ He finally responded , "W-w-where did t-that come from? W-what are you talking about?" Ash asked nervously.

Serena decided to elaborate further on her claim, "Ash, remember when we had that talk in Laverre City, the night you won against Valerie?"

Ash could only mutter out a faint, "Yes", still partially stunned at what Serena had said earlier.

"Well, that night was really the first time I could tell. The way you were looking at the ribbon, the way you described its significance, and you always tensed up whenever you talked about separating with her... and travelling with that Drew person."

At the mention of Drew, Ash started gripping Serena's hand a little tighter. She had noticed this, of course, and decided to use it against Ash.

"Uhm, Ash? You're squeezing a little too tight...", she said, looking down at her hands.

Ash quickly loosened his grip and muttered "Sorry.".

But when he looked up at Serena, her face only had a sly smirk.

"You see what I'm talking about?", she smiled.

Ash was pretty red at this point. "Y-you don't know what you're talking about. I'm not in love with her. We're just good friends!", Ash defended.

"Uh huh, whatever you say, Ash. But you've got to admit, you definitely talked about your 'friend' in a very intimate way that night, wouldn't you say? Would you be able to describe your relationship with me, or say, Misty, or Dawn like that?", she referred to his other former female travelling companions.

Ash thought about it for a minute. He knew he was being backed against the wall. The Terracotta ribbon was one of the few items he had always kept on him, and he knew it bore more significance to him than any other possession he had, but of course, in the moment he didn't want Serena to know that, as it would just lead to further teasing.

The silence was enough for Serena to confirm, "That's what I thought.".

As Ash was getting redder and redder, he was saved from his dilemma by the former Kalos Champion.

"Hello, Ash.", Diantha greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, I guess. This is a great party you put on for everyone in the Kalos conference.", Ash responded, letting go of Serena to converse with the gray haired woman.

"Yes, everyone seems to be enjoying it, even your gym leader friend over there.", she pointed at Clemont, who was awkwardly dancing with a blonde girl, under the watchful eye of Bonnie. Ash just chuckled at the sight.

"Well then", Diantha continued, getting down to business, "I hope you thought about what I suggested last night. I still strongly believe that it would be in your best interests if you stayed in Kalos and put a halt to your travels indefinitely."

Ash had thought about what to tell Diantha beforehand, "Diantha, I was put in the exact same position a few years ago as well, although it was on a smaller scale. Scott, the head of the Kanto Battle Frontier had offered me a position to become a Frontier Brain after becoming master of the Battle Frontier. I turned it down because there were still so many new places I had yet to visit, so many new people and Pokemon I had yet to meet, and I didn't want to miss out on any of that. To be quite honest, I still feel the same way today. Even as a champion, I don't think I'm ready to settle down yet. I'm only 17 years old, I know I'll have to stay put eventually, but now is not the time for that.", Ash said with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Diantha just stared at Ash with an expressionless face, which unnerved Ash. "Diantha, I'm sorry if this wasn't the response that you wanted, but please try to understand. My dream of being a Pokemon master still burns deep within me, and I guess in a way, part of my 10 year old self is still within me. I want to know everything there is to know about the Pokemon world, and see as much of this world as I can.", Ash said determinedly.

They had stood there in awkward silence for a minute or two. Ash didn't know what Diantha was thinking at the time, but she didn't seem too impressed, and now he almost regrets ever opening his mouth to say anything. _'No, that needed to be said. It's important that she knows where my heart is."_

Finally, Diantha opened her mouth to to break the silence. Ash had expected the worst, but instead she calmly spoke. "Well, I should've expected that answer from a teenager.", she said with a smile.

Ash was somewhat surprised at her response. "You mean, you're not mad?", Ash was still cautiously asking.

"Ash, why would I be mad at the fact that our 17 year old champion would want to live out his youth? We can't take that away from him. We all knew here at the Elite 4 that you will have to settle down eventually, but we shouldn't have pressured you into adulthood straight away. And ultimately in the end, it is your decision, after all, as you are the champion.", Diantha reassured Ash. However, there was still one matter they had to attend to. "I now understand that it is your wish to continue on your journeys, and we can respect that. However, should the time come when a challenger gets past the Kalos Elite 4 and I, we need a plan in case we need to get a hold of you."

"Oh, I have an easy solution to that!", Ash excitedly said. "Malva is an avid Holocaster user, right? She can just send me holograms whenever a challenger is ready to battle me!", Ash proposed.

"Hmm... I don't see a problem with that. Very well! I will add Malva's Holocaster code to yours now.". After Diantha had done that, she asked Ash one last question. "So Ash, where will you go from here? You definitely hinted that you wanted to keep travelling. I realize you've been to six regions at this point. So what's the next step for you?"

Ash pondered for a minute, finally replying, "To be honest, I'm not sure what I want to do next. I mean, everything has happened so quickly since last night", Ash responded, thinking about becoming champion, his newfound celebrity status in the Kalos region, and the ability to finally harness the power of mega evolution.

Diantha quickly came up with an idea, "If you don't have anything planned, why don't you go back to your home region for a bit? Kalos news does not reach the four eastern regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh very quickly, so if being recognized is your main concern, I'm sure you won't be swamped there to the extent that you are here. Plus, you can go visit your friends and family, which is always nice."

Ash gasped mentally. _'Oh man, I've been so busy with everything happening, that I forgot to call everyone! Not even my mom! Only Professor Oak knows about me becoming a Champion!'_ "Oh no, I guess in all the excitement, I completely forgot to call any of my friends and family after last night!", Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, why don't you just surprise everybody? I'm sure they'll appreciate if you told them ahead of time, but a surprise return from the new Kalos champion would be even flashier", Diantha suggested with a smile on her face.

"Hmm... I guess I don't really have much of a choice, do I? Okay, I'll book the next flight back to Viridian City and surprise everyone in Pallet!", Ash finally decided.

"Ash, don't worry about booking a flight. Did you already forget that you are the champion?", Diantha chuckled. "As champion, you get a private jet for you to use whenever you wish for your duration as champion, on top of your base salary of $150,000 per month, before incentives from battles and public appearances you may make in the future."

Ash was fully shocked at what Diantha had just told him, and nearly fainted, only to be stopped by a blonde haired girl in a black dress.

"Ash, are you okay?", Serena waved her hand in front of his face.

"He's just a little surprised, that's all. Well, I'll leave you in Serena's care, Ash. Looks like you'll be in good hands. I'll talk to you again soon.", and with that, Diantha made her leave.

Ash had finally come to his senses after Diantha had left. He still couldn't believe what being a champion came with. He wasn't complaining, but he was definitely still a little overwhelmed.

"So, Ash, what now?", Serena asked. The dance was finally starting to wind down at this point, and Clemont and Bonnie also started to approach them. They all walked out of the stadium, back towards the hotel.

"Well, I'm going to bed, and tomorrow, I'm going to head back to Kanto to visit some friends and my mom. What do you say, guys, you up for it? I really want to introduce the friends that helped me get through the region in which I finally won a league in", Ash proposed.

"Sorry Ash, but Bonnie and I were recently just called back to the Lumiose Gym to do some housekeeping, and to be honest I kind of miss battling competitively.", Clemont said. "We were just accompanying you until the Kalos League finished up, and then we were planning on staying put here in Lumiose City afterwards."

"Fair enough, Clemont. Well, don't worry, as Kalos champion, I will definitely be seeing you and Bonnie often when I eventually settle down in the future. Until then, you better train your hardest, because next time we meet, we're going to have a battle!", Ash said with fire in his eyes.

"Bring it on, Ash! I hope the champion will be able to keep up with a gym leader like me.", Clemont joked. They both shared a laugh.

Bonnie pulled Serena aside. "So, did you tell him?", Bonnie asked with a smirk on her face.

Serena knew immediately what she meant by that. "I already told you, Bonnie, I'm not going to tell him how I feel. After what happened tonight, he's gonna need all the help he's gonna get to land the one he _really _wants to be with, no matter how stubborn he gets", she finished.

Bonnie sighed in defeat, "Well, I guess I can't really do much to change your mind at this point. I hope you know what you're doing, Serena.", Bonnie said as she walked away from her.

When Clemont and Bonnie finally disappeared from sight, Serena felt a nudge on her arm.

"So, Serena, would you like to come to Kanto with me? I'd really like for you to meet all my friends, my mom, and all my otherPokemon", said the raven-haired boy.

_'Okay Ash, as I said, you're gonna need all the help you can get. You're too stubborn to realize your feelings, so I guess I'm gonna have to force them out of you. Plus, with your friends helping me out, there is no way we could fail!'_

"Sure, Ash! I'd love to meet all your friends and Pokemon!", Serena said with a smile.

"Great!", Ash said.

They had finally reached the 6th floor of the hotel, where their rooms were.

"Good night, Serena. Get some rest, We'll be leaving pretty early tomorrow", Ash said before closing the door.

"Night, Ash!", Serena called out across the hallway before closing her own door and shutting off her lights.

* * *

_'Was everything Serena told me true? I can't be falling for her, can I? I mean, we're really close friends, that's it. Even then, we haven't even spoken in a long time, so we might not even be as close as I thought we were anymore. How will she react the next time she sees me? She probably hates me for not being able to keep in touch with her. Besides, she's got... Drew, who knows all about that romance crap. I'm sure they'd work out if they started... d-dating. Me? I'm not sure I even know what love is, so this feeling of emptiness I have can't be love (or lack of). Or can it? Goddamit, Serena, why did you have to complicate my thoughts? I just wanted some sleep, gahh!'_, the raven-haired boy grumbled before finally falling asleep a few minutes later.

* * *

**We've finally come to the end of Chapter 3. Damn, this chapter was a big clusterfuck. To be honest, this chapter seemed "all over the place" in my eyes in terms of general plot direction, and at times, I even forgot what I was writing about in the first place (struggles of a n00b writer). Anyways, I'll try to be more straight to the point in future chapters.**

**Chapter 4 should be up by Sunday at the very latest, and will finally introduce us to some of the characters we all know and love. **

**Please review! I know I might get harsher reviews for this chapter, but I'm ready for it, so give me your best shot! (Cups hands over manhood "just in case").**


	4. Chapter 4

**Heyya, what's up? It's your boy GreJolteon back with Chapter 4. Truly sorry for the late update, but its the most dreaded time of the year for my kind: finals week (dun dun dunnn). Anyways, some characters make their debuts in this chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

**Ages:**

**Harley - 24 (he makes a bunch of appearances, but he never sticks around long enough to be consider "major")**

** AdvancedLover: Lol, that was a brainfart moment for me. That section was actually one of the last parts of the chapter I wrote, and I guess I got a bit lazy and decided to skip a battle scene at the time because it was very late and I was getting tired. It's kinda ironic too, because just moments before, Korrina had mentioned that Lucario needed to hold the mega stone DURING BATTLE to mega evolve. That's my 3 AM mind for ya, I guess. :P**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

_**Alamos Town Pokemon Contest, Sinnoh**_

"Flygon, use Dragonbreath."

The green insect-looking dragon released a purple beam straight towards its opponent.

"Quick, Blaziken, deflect with Flamethrower!"

The red chicken-like Pokemon then released a wave of fire at the oncoming Dragonbreath, neutralizing each other in a beautiful explosion.

"Now Blaziken, close in on Flygon with Blaze Kick, then use Sky Uppercut!", its energetic brunette trainer ordered.

Wasting no time, Blaziken's right foot lit orange as it jumped in the air and charged straight at the dragon. As it closed in, it curled its claws as it turned blue.

"Wait for it to get close, Flygon.", its green-haired trainer simply stated.

Flygon just calmly watched as Blaziken started to close the distance rapidly.

"Now, Sandstorm like we practiced to send it back. ", Flygon's trainer finally commanded.

At that, the green dragon conjured up a strong twister of sand, hurling it at Blaziken as the chicken's charge was stopped dead in its track, now being battered by the Sandstorm enveloping it like a tornado.

"Blaziken, no! Use Sky Uppercut to jump out of there!", the brunette frantically spat out as she saw her points drop by a fifth.

"Not so fast. Use Dragonbreath to surround that sandstorm.", Flygon's trainer commanded.

As Blaziken tried to jump above the sandstorm, it struggled as it was pelted by the sand. Blaziken was then hit by various Dragonbreaths being deflected all throughout the sandstorm by the ferocious winds within it.

* * *

"Amazing! Flygon's combination of Sandstorm and Dragonbreath is putting Blaziken in a world of hurt, not to mention looking flashy while doing it!", exclaimed Marian, the M.C. of the contest.

From the outside, it looked like a beautiful purple storm as the Dragonbreath completely enveloped Blaziken and the sandstorm. The crowd cheered wildly at this marvelous display.

* * *

Blaziken eventually dropped back to the ground, and its trainer could only watch in horror as its Pokemon was now fully trapped. She had also noticed that her points had almost fallen below half at this point, while her opponent's points were still almost at full. The sandstorm had finally subsided moments later.

"Blaziken, can you continue?", its trainer asked.

"Blaze, Blaziken!", Blaziken assured its trainer.

"That's the spirit! Now use Flamethrower into Sky Uppercut!"

At that, Blaziken shot a red wave of flames straight at Flygon, then began charging at the dragon with its glowing claws.

"Flygon, counter with Dragonbreath.", its trainer stated. At that, Flygon once again fired a purple beam at the oncoming flames, stopping it dead in its tracks. "Now, at Blaziken!", at that, Flygon switched targets, with Blaziken in its sights.

"Dodge it, Blaziken!", and at those words, Blaziken barely dodged the incoming Dragonbreath by spinning, and connected with the Sky Uppercut.

"Great job, Blaziken!", its trainer praised.

Flygon's trainer noticed his points drop a third, but just shrugged it off.

"Flygon, shake it off, and use Steel Wing to close in on Blaziken."

Flygon's wings then glowed white and closed in at the red chicken at high speed.

_'Why is he using a steel type attack on a fire type like Blaziken?', _the brunette trainer pondered. She knew the odds were in her favor if she went head on with the Steel Wing.

"Counter with Blaze Kick, Blaziken!"

Blaziken's foot glowed orange, and proceeded to intercept Flygon.

"Lead with Dragonbreath, Flygon! There's no turning back now.", and with that, Flygon got off another purple beam at Blaziken. Blaziken and its trainer had realized too late that the Steel Wing was just a diversion to lure Blaziken into getting airborne, as the Dragonbreath hit the chicken dead-on, stopping Blaziken dead in its tracks as the Steel Wing also made direct contact.

As the smoke cleared, both trainers surveyed the battlefield. A very tired and damaged Blaziken was on the ground, while Flygon barely showed any signs of damage.

The brunette looked down at Blaziken in defeat. _'I guess its over', _she thought dejectedly.

"Blaziken is unable to-",

However, something peculiar happened. Blaziken had all of a sudden started to glow an orange color, and got up to its feet looking rejuvenated.

"Hey, that's Blaze! Now the real battle starts!", the brunette excitedly proclaimed. "Are you ready for this, Drew?", she continued.

"Heh, I wouldn't have it any other way, May.", the green-haired trainer simply said.

Blaziken got to its feet, looking ready to go and full of fight.

"Okay Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!", May commanded.

Blaziken then sped towards Flygon with glowing claws clenched, ready to dish out pain to the green dragon.

_"Hmm, she never learns, does she?',_ the green-haired coordinator smirked.

"Use Sandstorm to send it back.", Drew calmly ordered.

"Quick, use Flamethrower on Flygon!", May quickly told Blaziken.

Blaziken stopped its charge momentarily and threw yet another wave of flames straight at the dragon.

"What?! Flygon, Dragonbreath, now!", Drew then quickly changed his command just as Flygon began to conjure up a Sandstorm attack, with a hint of panic in his voice.

The Dragonbreath and Flamethrower met in an all-too-familiar collision, neither attack giving way to each other.

"Blaziken, switch it up to an Overheat! You can pull through!", the brunette encouraged her faithful fire-type.

As the flames emerging from Blaziken grew much larger, slowly starting to envelop the Dragonbreath, Drew could only watch as the flames slowly but surely closed in on the dragon.

However, before they made contact with Flygon, they heard an all too familiar sound.

DING!

Both coordinators looked up at the scoreboard, seeing that time had run out. One coordinator, who still had a little over half of his points, sighed in relief as the other, who had barely over a quarter of her points remaining, slumped down onto the ground.

_'I was so close...', _she thought sadly.

* * *

"Amazing, folks! This thriller and latest episode of the ongoing rivalry between May Maple and Drew Hayden came down to the last move, with the match still being in anyone's hands. However, as the timer ran out on us before Blaziken's Overheat could land on its target, the winner of the Alamos Town Contest is Drew Hayden from LaRousse City! " Marian exclaimed, with cheers from the crowd following afterwards.

Drew and May both returned their Pokemon, thanking them for their efforts in the match.

After that, Drew went up to the brunette coordinator, who was staring at the ground in defeat.

"Great battle, May. Your Blaziken is just as powerful as ever. I guess luck was on my side today.", Drew said, stretching out his hand. May nodded and shook his hand.

Drew then came up to Mr. Contesta to receive his ribbon.

"That was a fantastic display you exhibited in the match, Drew. That use of Dragonbreath and Sandstorm was a sight to see. Congratulations.", Mr. Contesta praised him.

"Yes, remarkable indeed!", Mr. Sukizo added.

"I realize that this is your fifth Sinnoh ribbon, and so I would like to congratulate you and wish you good luck in the Sinnoh Grand Festival being held in Lake Valor next month.", Nurse Joy finally finished.

"A quick reminder to all coordinators, the final Pokemon contest of the season is being held at Veilstone City in a week's time. If you are stuck at four ribbons, this is your last chance to punch your ticket into the Grand Festival. I wish you all good luck, and once again, congratulations to Drew for his win here in Alamos Town!", Marian finally rounded out.

* * *

As the cheers rang out in the arena when Drew accepted his ribbon, May quickly made her exit towards the coordinator's prep room. She then went over to desk and buried her face in her arms, fighting back tears.

_'What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I win against Drew? I've lost every single contest so far in Sinnoh whenever I had to face Drew in a battle round. Is he just that much better than me? Am I regressing that much as a coordinator?',_ the brunette sulked in her thoughts. She then reached into her shirt, pulling out an item that she had turned into a necklace. To any other person, the item at the end of it would seem peculiar, but to her it was her life. It was the one link she had to the person whom she unconsciously wished was here with her more than anyone, her best friend. She examined the pink, slightly worn half-ribbon in front of her. _'No, he wouldn't think that. I can't make him think I've grown weak, even if I think I am. It'll crush him.', _she thought.

Just then, a purple-haired man in a green Cacturne outfit made his way into the room, approaching a girl who was staring at an item very intently, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, darling. You feeling okay? Losing to your boyfriend can be really tough, but don't let it get to ya! Besides, you have to save all that emotion for when I humiliate you in the Grand Festival!", the man cackled.

May acknowledged him, but did not turn around, "Not now, Harley. And how many times have I told you, Drew's not my boyfriend.", the girl responded, rather annoyed.

Harley was slightly taken aback at her tone, but it was in his nature to taunt and embarass May, and that he did, especially when it came to losing contests. He then noticed what the girl was staring at, and wondered why something as plain and simple as half a contest ribbon could possibly mean anything to her.

"May, out of anything you could've used as a necklace, why would you choose something as crummy as a half ribbon?", Harley asked.

At hearing the word "crummy", the girl had no idea what overcame her, but she immediately turned around with a serious tone in her voice, staring right at Harley.

"This ribbon is not 'crummy'. In fact, this happens to be one of my most treasured possessions. I split this ribbon back in Terracotta Town with my best friend four years ago, and ever since then its been my main source of motivation. So why don't you think before you go saying things like that?", May hissed at the purple-haired man.

Harley was surprised at May's sudden outburst. '_Damn, she's crazy'_, he thought, however his thoughts also drifted to when she referred to her "best friend". _'Best friend huh? Four years ago?', _he pondered before putting the pieces together. _'No way! Is it really...'_

"Hey hun, this best friend you're referring to, it wouldn't happen to be that Ash Ketchup boy that you travelled with in Hoenn and Kanto, would it?", Harley questioned.

"Ket-CHUM. Ash Ketchum. And what's it to you?", May shot back.

Harley then quickly thought of another way to embarass her.

"Aha! So it is him! Don't tell me _HE'S _your boyfriend! What would sweet, little Drewy think?", Harley exclaimed, attracting the attention of a few coordinators in the room, who didn't care too mmuch.

Upon hearing that, May's face grew a deep shade of red out of embarassment. She was about ready to murder the Cacturne-loving man in front of her.

"Ash is not my b-boyfriend!", she defended herself. "I haven't even seen him in about a year and a half! I don't even know w-where he is right now.", she thought sadly. The last time they had even spoken to each other was before she went to Sinnoh with Drew. "And besides, why does it matter what Drew would think? We're just friends.", she finished.

Harley then spoke up, "I guess either you're extremely clueless to how Drew looks at you, or you really are interested in someone else, more specifically that Ash guy. Anyways, I'm out of here. I'll see you in the Grand Festival, where I'll be sure to wipe the floor with your sorry ass.", and with that, Harley walked out of the room, leaving an embarassed May to her thoughts.

_'The way Drew looks at me? What's that supposed to mean?'_, the brunette thought. She was again abruptly snapped out of her thoughts, this time by a green-haired boy standing in front of her.

"Hey, how you holdin' up?", he asked coolly.

May didn't know how to answer at first, as she had a million emotions running inside of her, the prominent ones being sadness at her loss, and anger, embarassment, and confusion at what Harley had said. In the end, she only said, "I've had better days, but I'll be alright, I guess.".

Drew then replaced his look with a serious one, and the tone in his voice portrayed a similar emotion.

"May, you did it again in that battle. Even though its been two regions removed, you still hang on to Ketchum's battle style and tactics to some extent. I thought the reason you left him back in Kanto was to find a style you could call your own! Even now, I don't see too much of a difference between then and now. I've already told you multiple times that while his style might work for his pathetic leagues, contests are more about beauty than raw power, and you have to battle more passively than go all-out. Hell, the only reason you even had a slight chance was because you waited until Blaze was activated, and in the end it bit you in the ass because the timer ran out on you. I'm surprised you even have four ribbons to your name using that pathetic style that obviously does not work for contests.", he said quite harshly.

Now it was May's turn to lash out at him. "Hold on there. First off, do not call Ash pathetic. He's one of the best trainers I've ever seen, and I'm grateful for him teaching me how to battle. If you recall, I kicked your ass in Kanto four years ago using 'his' battle style."

"Pure luck.", Drew interjected, which earned him a glare from the brunette.

"Secondly", she continued with her raised voice, "I understand what you're saying when you say how I need to incorporate more beauty into my style, but mixing beauty and power is MY style. Its worked in four contests so far, hasn't it? I could go without all the insults and harsh criticisms. I thought that after Johto, you had moved on from that. But once we got to Sinnoh, you were at it again. Its not like you've won any Grand Festivals either, Drew. So what gives you the right to bash my battle style? I thought friends support each other, not put each other down like that.", she finished before getting up quickly and leaving the room, clearly annoyed at the boy. As she left the room, the green-haired boy had attracted death stares from some of the female coordinators. He could've sworn he heard a few whispers which sounded like _'Womanizer!' _or _'That pig!'_.

Drew just stood there, thinking ot himself. _'What's so special about Ketchum anyways? Why is he always on your mind? You worship that ribbon on your neck like a god or something. If he was really a "true friend" he would be here supporting you, which is all I've done for you. Why can't you see that?', _Drew's thoughts raged inside of him.

* * *

_'The nerve of him! Insulting my best friend and by extension, me? What was that about? Usually he criticizes just me, but now Ash? What's gotten into him?'_, May pondered inside her head as she made her way to one of the videophones in the lobby. _'If I had known he'd go back to his old ways I might've reconsidered travelling with him.'_. She had to get all of today's events off her chest and share thoughts with someone. She sat down and began to dial the number of one of her closest friends.

The phone rang for about ten seconds, and after that time elapsed, a woman with short, blue hair came on the screen.

"May! How have you been?", exclaimed the person on the other line.

"Never been better, Mrs. Berlitz!", May lied through her teeth. She figured that the older woman didn't need to know about her dilemma, and it looks like the blunette bought it anyways.

"Please, call me Johanna, dear. You already know how I feel about you calling me that.", the woman said.

"Oh, no problem Johanna!", May said a little embarassingly.

Johanna just let out a small chuckle. "So I assume you want to speak to Dawn, am I right? You're in luck, as she just got back from Goldenrod City about a week ago. Let me get her for you!", said Johanna as she disappeared from the screen. A few moments later, a long-haired blunette with a white beanie came on the screen.

"Hey May! How's it going?", said Dawn.

"Hey Dawn. I've been getting by, I guess.", May answered with a hint of sadness in her voice. "How was Johto?"

"I lost in the finals of the Grand Festival, again. This time I lost against a coordinator named Nando. He's a coordinator as well as a league trainer.", Dawn sighed.

"Wow, top 2 in your first two Grand Festivals? You can't be disappointed in that. That's better than how I did in my first two.", May said, still sounding a little dejected. Dawn picked up on this and decided to ask her about it.

"Yeah, I guess.", Dawn acknowledged. She then noticed May just staring into space from her screen. "Something wrong, May? You don't sound as upbeat as you usually are.", the blunette wondered.

May needed a minute to compose her thoughts, but eventually answered Dawn.

"No, not really.", May sighed. "I lost a Pokemon contest to Drew earlier today.".

"Yeah, I saw you on TV earlier. He got lucky, if the time hadn't ran out on you, you could've knocked out his Flygon with that Overheat!", Dawn exclaimed.

"I know, he even acknowledged that himself.", May stated. "I'm still stuck at four ribbons. And there's only one contest left for me to get my last ribbon!,", she informed the blunette. "But the contest itself is not the biggest reason why I'm feeling down. It's because of what he said after.", the brunette continued.

Dawn had a confused look on her face, "Okay, what did he say? Did the bush head insult you again?", she asked.

May had to hold back a giggle at the way Dawn had just described the green-haired coordinator. "Yes, he did. I swear after every loss to him it's like I expect it now. Which is kind of odd because he didn't really criticize me back in Johto, at least not to the extent he is now. It kind of reminds me of my Hoenn and Kanto days, which you know way too much about."

It was true. May had spilled her guts out one night during the Sinnoh Wallace Cup, when May had first met Dawn. The brunette went into detail about how Drew had taunted her and put her down in her early days. If it were not for her friends, specifically a certain boy with a Pikachu, she didn't know how she would have made it out of those regions and become the coordinator she is now.

"Yes, please don't remind me.", the blunette rolled her eyes, which cause the brunette to chuckle. "Maybe he didn't insult you in Johto because of how well you did in it?", Dawn proposed.

May thought about it for a second. _'Maybe Dawn has a point. I mean, it was the first Grand Festival where I had made it to the finals, and also the second year in a row where I lost to Solidad. Damn, how do I solve her?', _May mused.

"Hmm, maybe. But that's not all. At first, I thought all of his criticisms were mainly tough love. But... something was different today. When he confronted me about my battle style, he mentioned... Ash. And he told me how much I still battle like him, and that I would never win with his 'pathetic style'. Can you believe him?", May said with distaste.

Dawn also reacted to this similarly to May. "What's his problem? While he is true that some elements in your style do look similar to Ash's, Ash is like ten times the trainer Drew is!", Dawn said a little too loudly, attracting the attention of her mother. "Yes mom, I'm fine! No need to worry, I'm just having a screaming contest with May!... No, that's a regular teenage thing nowadays, you wouldn't know!", Dawn screamed to a doorway.

May seemed a bit confused at this, but decided to shrug it off. "You see why I don't feel so 'upbeat' now? You know, sometimes I don't know why I even travelled to Sinnoh alongside Drew. If I had known he was gonna be like this from the start I probably wouldn't have, to be honest.", May told the blunette.

"Yeah, I didn't fully understand your decision behind that. Ash told me that you accepted Drew's offer to travel seemingly without any second doubts. Now obviously I can't judge you for that, but from what you've told me, I just didn't see it happening. What's up with that? Why did you travel with Drew?", the blunette questioned.

All that May got out of her question was the fact that Ash had actually spoken to Dawn sometime between then and now. "Wait a second, back up a bit. You've talked to Ash? When? Where? Is he travelling again? Where is he?", May frantically interrogated her friend.

Dawn was genuinely surprised at this, "Uhmm... it was about four months ago. He called me right before I won my fourth contest in Azalea Town. You called me around that time too, right?". After May nodded, Dawn then had her own questions, "Wait a minute, you don't even know where he is? To be honest, I thought you would've been the first to know. Well anyways, he's in a region called Kalos, about a 4 hour plane ride west of Johto. Why do you seem so shocked at all this?", Dawn asked the brunette.

While Dawn didn't pay too much attention to the details concerning Ash, this was all news to May. "Well, I haven't spoken to Ash since...", May paused, still slightly surprised that Ash had actually called Dawn, or probably all of his other friends, but hadn't bothered to call her. "...since I left for Sinnoh.", she said with a flat tone in her voice.

Dawn gasped at this. "Wait, t-then that means you and Ash haven't talked in-"

"A year and a half.", May finished the statement for the blunette. "Sometimes, I wonder if I did something to upset Ash. Obviously I hope I didn't, as he's my best friend and I don't wanna lose him, but I don't know what else to think when he doesn't even seem to... try anymore.", she said sadly looking down at the ground.

Now it was May's turn to be surprised, as Dawn began to speak. "Uhmm May, I hardly believe that's the case at all. I don't think you have to worry about him being upset with you.".

May immediately looked up at the smiling blunette, with uncertainty her face. "You really think so? How do you know? Did he tell you?", the brunette started peppering questions.

Dawn only let out a small laugh. "May, when Ash called me, which ironically was only a day after you rung me up, he actually asked me if I knew where you were as well. He mentioned that he had been trying to reach you a few times, but you had left the Pokemon centers just before he could call you. I told him at the time that you were in Snowpoint City. But I'm assuming since we're having this conversation that he missed out on you again!", Dawn started laughing, but then had a soft expression on her face afterwards. " He said he really missed you, and wanted to talk to you again.".

May couldn't help but have a huge smile on her face. Suddenly, she forgot about what had just happened mere minutes ago with Drew, as the thought of Ash, and furthermore him sharing her emotions at the moment as well, clouded up all the negativity in her mind.

"I really miss him, too. You have no idea how much I want to hear his voice again.", May said with a longing expression on her face. "Dawn, I'm gonna tell you something I've never told anyone, not Drew, not you, not even my family.".

After she got a nod from the blunette, she started. "You might not know this, but I've lost to Drew every single time I've faced him in a contest.". After seeing Dawn's shocked expression, the brunette continued. "And in those contests, just like today, he would always criticize the flaws in my style, sometimes even harsher than when he had done so in Hoenn. Those are the only times where I felt truly alone, with no one to lean on to and talk to. Of course, I'd just play it off like everything was cool whenever I was around Drew, because I didn't want him to know that he was the reason why I was feeling so blue. I always believed that while he could have been a little nicer with his critiques, he did make valid points, evidenced by his record against me. Still, there were times when I even felt like just dropping everything and giving up on my Sinnoh journey because of my frustrations. Call me weird, but during those times, I found myself talking to the half-ribbon that I won with Ash, as if he were with me. I would remember his words of encouragement, and how they could always snap me out of my funk, giving me the strength I needed to continue. Besides, if Ash were here, he would do everything in his power to convince me not to quit on my journey.", she chuckled. "This ribbon has become my most treasured possession, and I keep it close to my heart at all times, literally.", she finally finished, removing the necklace revealing the half ribbon, and flashed it on the screen for Dawn to see.

Dawn, in turn, had a very curious expression on her face.

"Wow. I didn't know you thought about Ash that much like that. ", the blunette simply stated. At first, May was nervous at how Dawn would react to her most intimate thoughts, but she got her answer as her face lit up with excitement. " Aww, that's so cute, May!", she exclaimed.

May let out a nervous laugh, "Hehe, I don't know about cute, but yes, Ash has a special place in my heart. After all, he's my best friend, and I honestly wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost him. That's why I felt so relieved when you told me it was all a big misunderstanding when I thought Ash hadn't even tried to contact me!", May sighed contently.

Dawn was processing what May had just told her. _'Wow, Ash holds a special place in her heart, huh? And after that whole spiel about Ash? Oh and how she turned the ribbon into a necklace, how cute! I think I know what's really going on here, but I'm gonna hold off for now, until I find out more about May's feelings, and until I figure out how Ash feels as well', _Dawn thought, with a devilish smirk on her face. May noticed this look on her face and started to grow uncomfortable.

"Uhmm, Dawn? Everything okay?", May questioned the smiling blunette.

"Huh? Oh, everything's peachy, no need to worry! But you haven't answered my original question. Why did you go to Sinnoh with Drew?", Dawn asked.

May had to think about her answer for a minute, but finally recollected her thoughts. "Believe me, Drew was not my first choice as a travel companion. I wanted to travel with Ash more than anything in the world! But I couldn't bring myself to ask him after he came back from Unova. For the same reason I left Ash to go to Johto alone. I told him that I wanted to go to Johto to find my own battle style, and not have to rely on his all the time. But really? There was always a part of me that told me that by travelling with him, I was just holding him back from fully achieving his dreams. I mean, we always had to stop for my contests, hampering his progress with the Hoenn league and the Battle Frontier, and he always cared so much at how I was doing in the contest circuit. He cheered me on at my wins, and took all of my losses as his own, even taking time out of his own training to help me prepare for contests. He was my number one fan. I feel like by being away from him, he can now focus solely on his league battles, without feeling the need to look out for me all the time.", the brunette said.

She continued "When I found out how Ash did in the Sinnoh league, that just confirmed my thoughts that he would be better off without me. I mean, he's never been in the top 4 of any league at the time, so I just let him be. After he finished the Unova league, he came back with such a positive outlook, even if he did worse than Sinnoh. He didn't show any signs of slowing down. And when Drew asked me to go to Sinnoh, he virtually gave me an easy way out. By agreeing to go to Sinnoh, I wouldn't have the urge to ask Ash to travel with me again. Besides, I didn't think he would want to go on a journey with me again anyways, seeing as he didn't react too much the first time we had split up for good back in Kanto. Trust me, it's better this way, so I wouldn't constantly get in his way.", she finished with a melancholy tone in her voice.

Dawn then went back to her thoughts. _'Hmm, May putting Ash's interests above her own? We're getting closer!'_. She then noticed the tone in her best friend's voice, and she had symphatized with her. _'She's way too hard on herself. She can't possibly be blaming herself for holding back Ash's progress!'_.

"May,", Dawn started with a serious tone in her voice, "you know Ash would never think of it like that. He holds his friends very dear to him, and I highly doubt he would tell you that you were holding him back in any way."

The brunette had to think about this for a minute. _'It's true, he's saved my ass a few times in our journeys, and he seems to care more about his friends than himself at times. Plus, he never complained about my company in any way, nor did he tell me I was ever holding him back. Maybe I was just overreacting inside my head. He's so selfless.', _she smiled. However, she realized the current situation and circumstances, and just sighed. "That may be so, but what's done is done. I'm here with Drew in Sinnoh, and Ash is probably having a blast in Kalos right now.", the brunette sighed. "Anyways, I'm starting to get a little tired, so I'm heading back to the Pokemon Center. I'll talk to you soon, Dawn.", she said as she began to end the call.

Dawn waved at May and was about to hang up as well, until an idea popped to her head. "Wait, May!", Dawn exclaimed before May could hang up.

"Yes, what is it, Dawn?"

"Where are you headed after today? I know you said there's only one contest left for the season. And I've still been itching for an adventure ever since I came back to Sinnoh. So I wanna travel with you guys until the end of the Grand Festival!", Dawn stated excitedly.

May immediately perked up at this idea. While she considers Drew a friend (albeit not being a very good one at the moment), it's been a while since she's travelled with a close friend who will no doubt "support" her like how a friend should, at least in her eyes. Plus, being able to travel with someone she can relate to and talk about anything with was always a welcome addition in her books.

"Sure, Dawn! I'd love to travel with you! I'm in Alamos Town right now, but the last contest is being held in Veilstone City in a week. If you want, we could stay here until you meet up with us.", the brunette suggested.

"That's fine with me, May. I should be able to reach Alamos before sundown tomorrow if I head out first thing tomorrow morning. I'll just have to ask my Togekiss to fly me every now and then. Well then, I'll let you get on your way. I'll see you tomorrow!", and with that, the screen went dark for May.

_'Now I finally have someone I can unconditionally share anything with. I can't wait!', _May squealed inside her head as she got up and made her way towards the Pokemon Center.

Along the way, May could only think about one thing, the fact that Ash wasn't intentionally giving her the cold shoulder. It had haunted her since her early days in Sinnoh. She did not know what to think, as her mentor and best friend had all of a sudden seemingly stopped giving her the time of day. However, when she found out that it was only a matter of miscommunication and bad luck, and that Ash had actually tried to contact her multiple times, it was like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. She found herself skipping on the way to the Pokemon Center, with a huge smile on her face.

When she entered the lobby of the Pokemon Center, she saw a green-haired boy sitting in the lobby, waiting impatiently. When the boy saw her walk in, he got up from his chair and approached her.

"Hey, May. I see you're definitely in a better mood than when you walked out on me earlier.", the boy acknowledged.

At seeing him again, however, May's face again turned into a neutral expression, obviously still annoyed at the boy for his comments earlier. However, she was definitely in higher spirits than before her call with Dawn. "I called a friend, Drew, and we talked about some things. She's a Coordinator from right here in Sinnoh, and she's going to be travelling with us through the Grand Festival. She'll be here by sundown tomorrow, so if it's okay with you, I'd like to stay another day here.", she simply stated.

"Of course that's fine, May. I've noticed that you've haven't been too cheery lately, and having another friend who's a girl could definitely help.", Drew responded. He then pulled out a red rose from his back pocket, and continued. "And another thing, I would like to apologize for the way I acted earlier. I honestly don't know what came over me. I really care about you, and how well you do in contests, and seeing you lose, even to me, pains me, as you are one of the best coordinators I know. After all, they don't call you the Princess of Hoenn for no reason.", he said with a chuckle.

May rolled her eyes jokingly, and accepted the rose with a small blush on her face. "Drew, I know you care about me, and I truly appreciate all the support you've given me. I would also like to say sorry for how I reacted earlier. You're just trying to do what's best for me, and help me snap out my losing streak.", she said. At that, though, she began speaking with a serious tone again. "However, it is not okay for you to insult my friends as well. I've accepted your ways of helping me better my skills as a coordinator, but please don't bring my friends into it, especially Ash.", she finished.

Drew felt a ting of jealousy at hearing the raven-haired trainer's name, but he did not want to endure the wrath of the brunette again. "I promise I won't, I'm sorry for bringing him up in the first place. Will you forgive me?", he asked with a sincere smile.

May couldn't help but feel for the boy, who sounded wholeheartedly sincere. "Of course I forgive you, Drew. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't?", she said with a smile on her face. "Anyways, I think I'm done for today. I'm gonna head to bed early. Goodnight, Drew."

"Wait, May.", the green-haired trainer quickly said as May began walking out of the room. "How would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow? I still feel really bad for earlier, and thought I'd make it up to you. What do you say?", he asked.

"Uhm, sure!", May said. Just then, Drew came up to her, pecking her cheek.

"Sounds great. We'll go at around 6 pm tomorrow. Sweet dreams, May.", Drew finished before heading to his room.

May just stood there dumbfounded, touching her cheek with a blush on her face. _'What the hell just happened? What was that all about? What does that mean?' _These thoughts would ring in her head all night.

* * *

**32 000 feet above Kanto **

"I'm sorry to inform you, Master, but heavy winds and storms in the Viridian area have forced us to divert to Cerulean International Airport. We're sorry if this causes you any inconvenience in any way.", the stewardess attended to the black-haired boy.

"How much of a delay before we can fly into Viridian?", the boy asked.

"Weather forecasters are expecting the storm to rage throughout the overnight and early morning hours, so Viridian Airport's air corridor will most likely stay closed until later tomorrow.", the young lady, around age 22, informed.

The raven-haired boy sighed. "Okay, thank you very much for telling me.", he said with a smile.

"Anything for you, Master Ash. The pilots have already adjusted course, so we should be landing in Cerulean City within the next half hour. Let me know if you need anything else.", the stewardess said before heading towards the back of the small jet.

The boy then turned to the yellow rodent sitting in the window seat beside him. "She said Cerulean right? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?", Ash asked.

"Pikachu, Pikapi Pika!", Pikachu responded with a thumbs up, as he understood what he meant.

_'I guess it's time to pay our favorite redhead a little visit.'_

* * *

**That's Chapter 4 for yous. Obviously May-centric (didn't think I forgot about her, did you?). I most likely will not be able to update until early next week due to exams. **

**Please review!**


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